Illegal Dumping in Texas: Fines & Penalties

Illegal Dumping in Texas: Fines & Penalties

Illegal dumping is a problem that’s more common than you might think. In Texas, you can be charged with illegal dumping for something as simple as dropping your trash on your neighbor’s property because your trash can is packed to capacity. You can also be charged if you allow your neighbors to dump their trash in your yard, regardless of whether any sort of payment or reward arrangement was made. When looking into whether they should take a do-it-yourself approach to dealing with an excess of waste instead of hiring professionals to perform trash removal, Dallas, TX, residents should consider the various degrees of severity charges of illegal dumping can entail.

Class C Misdemeanor

This is the least severe charge for illegal dumping. Perpetrators at this level are individuals who have dumped no more than 5 pounds or 5 gallons of waste and trash in an unauthorized area. This level of charge entails a fine of no more than $500.

Class B Misdemeanor

Illegal dumping reaches this level when the violator offloads anywhere from 5 to 500 pounds of waste or a volume of 5 gallons to no more than 100 cubic feet into an unauthorized dumping site. This level of charge can entail a fine reaching as high as $2,000 and/or up to 180 days in jail.

Class A Misdemeanor

This is the most severe misdemeanor-level charge for illegal dumping. It also has two separate designations, based on whether the offense is being perpetrated by an individual or a commercial endeavor.

Individual – The perpetrator deposits an amount of trash between 500 and 1,000 pounds or occupying a volume between 100 and 200 cubic feet

Commercial – The perpetrator illegally dumps an amount of waste weighing between 5 and 200 pounds or occupying anywhere from 5 to 200 cubic feet

Regardless of the classification, the punishment can include a fine of up to $4,000 and/or up to an entire year in jail.

A Better Way

Considering how even a Class C misdemeanor can take a considerable chunk out of your wallet, you might want to consider hiring a Dallas, TX, disposal and junk removal service to deal with whatever unwanted trash and junk might be cluttering up your home, business, or backyard. While you’d be hard-pressed to find a junk removal service that works free of charge, you can be sure that even the most in-depth removal services would cost a fraction of the fines you’d have to pay if you tried to make your junk problem somebody else’s problem.

If you need reliable, affordable trash removal, call on the experts from Junk Guru. We’ll haul away and dispose of almost any kind of trash, junk, and debris you need to get rid of, and we’ll do it safely and efficiently. Give us a call today at 469-217-6984 to find out how we can help you clean up your home or business.